Part 3: Constraints in Federal Response

1
Part 3 Constraints in Federal Response

• How do you overcome them?

2
What is a constraint how do we cope?

• A constraint is an external obstacle, restriction
  or limitation that can impair our ability to
  respond effectively.
• Normal constraints can be overcome or addressed
  in a meaningful way.
• Unreasonable constraints become limitations which
  cannot be overcome without intervention.

3
Coping with Normal Constraints in Personal Life

• Difficult spouse/mate
• Difficult children
• No money
• Crisis before exams
• Cant find a job

• Counseling, Extra marital affair
• Baby sitter
• Forego opportunities
• Borrow money
• Steal/con
• Sponsor
• Waivers
• Extensions
• Special accommodations
• Family assistance
• Public assistance
• Desperation
• Keep looking

4
Coping with Normal Constraints in Business Life

• Difficult boss
• Too much work
• Reduce sales

• Transfer to another dept.
• Acquiesce
• Quit
• Pull all-nighters
• Seek extension
• Reduce sales
• Shut down
• Layoffs
• Pressure to produce more

5
Common Strategies to Address Normal Constraints

• Assistance from others
• Reduce/realign expectations
• Suspend rules
• Special treatment
• Waivers
• Expedited action

6
Causes When Constraints Become Unreasonable

• Active Constraints
• Discrimination against a protected class, i.e.,
  sex, race, gender, religion, age sexual
  orientation
• Prejudice/bias
• Stereotyping
• Ignorance and fear

• Passive Constraints
• Neglect
• Indifference
• Treat as Invisible

7
Targets of Unreasonable Constraints

• Minorities
• Elderly
• Persons with physical or mental disabilities
• Persons who are odd or too different
• Poor
• Uneducated

8
Rationalization for Actions

• Excuse
• Absence of proof of intent by Actor
• Not unreasonable
• Justified
• Self-imposed condition
• Predisposition

• Remedies
• Self-help
• Acquiesce
• Seek legal protection
• Damages
• Retaliation

9
Allegations re Government Action that Affected
Evacuees

• Disclosure of facts to federal government by
  state but risks were minimized
• Lack of priority
• Delay in authorizing action
• Lack of incentive to act
• Turf wars within DHS/FEMA

10
Governments Reaction to Missteps

• Embarrassment
• Blame
• Defense
• Apology
• Pledge to do better
• Overcompensation, e.g. throw money at evacuees
• Investigation and Reporting
• Expedited action for recovery and rebuilding

11
Governments Obligations, If Any

• Actions
• Grants waivers,
• Expedited processing,
• Preferences/Set asides for protected class,
• Suspension of criteria,
• Direct aid

• Issues
• Fairness to others
• Need for checks and balances
• Reverse discrimination
• Potential for abuse, misuse.
• Who pays?

12
Governments 6-Month Progress

• Direct aid to Evacuees
• Monetary aid
• Allocation of personnel
• In-kind resources, e.g. housing, food
• Loans
• Job training
• Moratorium on foreclosures, taxes, mortgages
• Repairs and debris removal

• Issues
• Evidence of fraud
• Period of deployment
• Assistance vs. self-help
• Creditworthiness
• Outputs to outcome
• Timeframe and income
• Loss of property if cannot pay or w/o insurance

13
Governments 6-Month Progress

• Direct aid to Evacuees
• Programs for minority, women and local business
• Business loans

• Issues
• Outputs? Outcomes.
• Calls leading to grants, contracts.
• Processing applications to grants.

14
Governments 6-Month Progress

• Direct aid to Cities
• Waiver of caps for CDBG grants
• Loans to disaster cities
• Infrastructure repair

• Issues
• Aid to states taking evacuees but no money to
  affected cites
• Ability to repay with reduced tax base
• Disparate treatment, e.g., 91 highways repaired
  in Miss. 44 in La. La. Port has 100 activity
  Gulfport has 50

15
Governments 6-Month Progress

• Direct aid to Cities
• K-12 Miss. 93 La. 79 reopened
• New Orleans of 183 public schools closed, 17
  reopened w/ 14 of pre-Katrina enrollment 30
  enrollment.
• 24 of 30 higher ed reopened, 10 of 15 closed in
  New Orleans

• Issues
• Do students have a place to live
• Jobs for parents
• 585M in disaster loans for cities for essential
  services.

16
Governments 6-Month Progress

• Direct aid to States
• 2B to reimburse Medicaid
• 550M in Soc. Sec. Block Grants for those
  lacking health ins.
• Loans to disaster cities
• Infrastructure repair

• Issues
• Aid to states taking evacuees but no money to
  affected cites
• Ability to repay with reduced tax base
• Disparate treatment, e.g., 91 highways repaired
  in Miss. 44 in La. La. Port has 100 activity
  Gulfport has 50

17
Outputs to Outcomes

• 245K business loan applications processed and
  42 approved.
• 5.2 billion in disaster loans to 73K homeowners,
  renters and businesses in 5 states. (1.5 million
  affected)
• 12 million in grants for training in
  construction, energy, health care,
  transportation, safety/security.(? persons
  hired)
• 55/61 planned contracts went to La firms, 27 K
  or 52 are to small, disadvantaged/minority
  contractors.

18
Outputs to Outcomes

• 126 M in aid from foreign parties. 66M from
  state transferred to FEMA for case management
  program to assess needs of 100K households
• 60.4 to Dept. of Ed for K-12 schools 35M to
  higher ed. with focus on HBCs

19
Open Issues

• Status of Prisoners rights?
• Top-down aid so how do states and local
  governments recover?
• When will the governments obligations to
  evacuees/businesses be fulfilled?
• What activities focus of federal-state-local
  coordination?

20
Possible Solutions

• Direct aid to evacuees and governments
• Personnel changes to government
• Reorganization of government departments,
  priorities, and functions
• Reallocation of authority
• Self-help

• How much, how long, to whom, accountability.
• Brown is gone any further changes needed.
• Levels of bureaucracy within bureaucracy.
• Simplify chain of command.
• Affected are on their own so support private
  efforts.